From Central To Sinnoh?
by EdwardKaoriSonozakiElric
Summary: A random ring flies through the window and wakes Ed from his nap! Then the thing sends him and Alphonse into another world? Do they ever get a break? FMAxPokemon Crossover thing.
1. A New World

Kaori: So Shadow…are you excited to read this story?

Shadow: No. Not at all.

Kaori: Fine! Do the disclaimer then, Meanie!

Shadow: --… _**EdwardKaoriSonozakiElric does NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or Pokémon.**_

Kaori: Thank you Shadz.

--

It was another boring day in Central City. Alphonse Elric was watching his brother sleep on the desk of Brigadier General Roy Mustang. He had told Edward it was a bad idea, but he did it anyway.

_Brother can be such an idiot… _Al thought to himself.

Suddenly a flash of light brightened the room, and a small object flew through the window to hit Ed on the head. He woke up and cursed to himself.

"Where the heck did this come from?!" He yelled in anger.

"Well…you were sleeping and it came through the window," said Al while pointing at the window.

Edward looked at the window and sighed.

"Someone must not want me to sleep…" He said in an annoyed tone, "I haven't had a good night's sleep in a few weeks."

"You never told me that you haven't been sleeping!" Al yelled.

"It's not your problem," replied Ed.

Edward ignored Alphonse's next few sentences and looked at the object that had awakened him. It was actually a small ring with a red stone on it. He didn't sense any alchemic energy coming from the thing, but it amused him greatly. Ed put it on and grinned.

"Hey Al, how does it look?" He laughed and showed Al what he discovered.

"So someone threw a ring at you?" Alphonse asked with a sigh.

"Probably an engagement ring from a fangirl or something," snickered Ed.

He and Al began a conversation about the shattered window and didn't notice that the ring, now on Ed's finger, was glowing. Out of nowhere, a huge circular vortex appeared above their heads. Alphonse instinctively grabbed onto his brother's arm. Said brother raised his eyebrow and pried Al's hands off of his arm.

"Ed…what is that thing?!" the younger asked.

"You think I know?! It's the damn ring's fault!" guessed the older.

They didn't have enough time to continue the exchange of ideas. The Elric Brothers were sucked into the vortex. The two of them got sick from all of the spinning they were doing in the portal. Ed puked once…and Al's face got covered. Eventually the circular motion stopped and they poofed onto solid ground again. Edward cried and kissed the ground…while that happened, Alphonse started to question his older brother's mental stability.

Ed sat up and looked around. Nothing looked familiar at all. Nothing. He blinked a few times, hit his head on a rock, and looked again. Still nothing.

Al stood up and fell back down from dizziness. He observed his older brother for a moment and then brought up his question.

"Where are we, Brother?"

Edward shook his head.

"I…I really don't know, Alphonse," he said quietly.

The brothers helped each other up to a standing position.

"What do you think caused this?"

Edward looked over at his younger brother like he was a retard.

"Isn't it obvious Al?! It was-"

Before Ed could finish his sentence, he collapsed with a cough.

"Brother!"

Alphonse kneeled down.

"Are you ok?!"

His older brother looked at him and coughed again.

"It's that…stupid ring…" he said, attempting to breathe without coughing.

Al helped Ed stand up and they walked for a few minutes.

"What happened to you? You just…" Al started.

It took him a moment to continue. His mind played the scene in his head again as he tried to figure out what happened.

"You fell," he continued, "and it was like you got sick suddenly."

Edward shrugged.

"Who knows what it was? Maybe I just caught a breath of something nasty," he reassured his brother.

"Maybe…"

As the Elric Brothers continued to walk, they noticed weird animal-like things running around everywhere. Nothing like they'd seen before. Of course, the two of them were pretty sure they were in another world…so they didn't know what to expect.

After an hour of exploring, Ed got tired and complained. He complained about his hunger, his leg hurting, and the sudden headache he got. Alphonse got tired of the complaints so they sat down on a rock beside a river they found. Edward curled up and fell asleep. Al looked at him and smiled.

_Typical Brother. Falling asleep in important situations, _he thought.

The younger brother got up and went to wash up at the river. He thought about tacos and Ed's random cough attack from earlier.

Meanwhile back at the rock, Edward slept peacefully for a time…that is…until a small yellow mouse hopped up beside him. It sniffed Ed and wrinkled it's nose. Seeing that he didn't like the new object, the mouse's cheeks sparked with electricity. Edward woke up to see it's sparks and jumped. He wasn't fast enough to dodge the…

Alphonse turned around to see his brother being electrocuted by the small yellow rodent. He ran over and tried to shoo the mouse.

"Shoo! Go away!" He waved his arms around.

The mouse wouldn't leave, it just sat there.

Edward regained his strength and sat up.

"So you think you can just zap me and get away with it, huh?! Well I'll show you what happens when-"

"Ed…look."

The spazzy older brother stopped his rant and looked at the little mouse. It had a sad look on its face.

"Come on, Brother…" Al defended, "He didn't know any better."

Edward sighed.

"Well…I'm only sorry for yelling if you're sorry for electrocuting me."

The mouse smiled and said, "Pika!"

The brothers jumped.

"It talks!" They yelled simultaneously.

"Holy crap!" came out of Ed's mouth.

Alphonse held out his hand to the rodent.

"Hiya. My name's Alphonse. What's yours?"

The mouse accepted the hand.

"Pikachu!" it said.

Edward held out his hand.

"And I'm Edward. Nice to meet you…er…Pikachu?"

The rodent smiled and said, "Pi."

"Ed…?" Al looked at him, pleading.

"No Al. We're not keeping it."

Alphonse curled up and fake cried. Ed rolled his eyes and patted Pikachu on the head.

"So little guy, what do you know about this place?" he asked.

Pikachu started talking…but Edward didn't understand.

"Pikachu pika pi pika pika chu pika," It said.

If one could see the inside of another's head, you would see Ed's brain begin to melt.

"Al…did you understand any of that?" he asked.

No one noticed that Al was sitting beside them again…even Ed.

"Nope. Nothing," was the reply.

Pikachu jumped on Edward's head.

"Pi! Pika!" it yelled.

Ed raised his eyebrow.

"To the waterfall?" He asked, "Is that what you said?"

Pikachu nodded.

"Pika pi pika pika chu," It began to explain.

Alphonse watched as Ed nodded in understanding. He didn't know what that mouse was saying…but he wondered if his brother had indeed finally cracked. Al watched until Edward stood.

"Pikachu says that it's friends are at the waterfall, but they're stuck in a cage…so it came to find help…and that help is apparently us," explained the older brother.

"Pi!"

The younger laughed and pointed down the river.

"TO THE WATERFALL!"

Edward and Pikachu started walking in the opposite direction.

"The other way, Al," said the only one who understood the rat.

So the Elric Brothers walked upstream to the waterfall…

--

Kaori: END OF CHAPTER!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Shadow: --…Kaori.

Kaori: Sorry…did you enjoy the chapter?!

Shadow: It was alright.

Kaori: Oh and readers wink Don't forget about what happened to Ed!

Peace!


	2. Pika's Friends

Kaori: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!!

Shadow: OO What the…?

Kaori: Weird things will happen in this chapter! Shaddie! Do the Disclaimer!

Shadow: Don't ever call me that again! insert sigh here _**Kaori does not own Fullmetal or Pokémon**_

Kaori: But I wish I owned THE Fullmetal…OH EDWARD! 3

Shadow: …o0 Onto the story!

--

So the Elric Brothers walked upstream to the waterfall. They had no idea what to expect of Pikachu's friends. All the two knew was that they were stuck in a cage. Who knows? They could be evil masterminds for all Ed knew or they could've been demons for all Al knew.

Along the way, Edward began to complain about how long it was to the waterfall, but Pikachu and Alphonse kind of tuned his complaints out. Realizing this, Ed ranted about how no one listens to him and how he deserved more respect. Al rolled his eyes and whispered something to Pikachu. His older brother demanded that Al tell him what he said.

"I told the mouse that you have a big mouth, and may need another shock to shut it," the younger replied with a smirk.

Ed growled and pulled out a whip.

"RUN, ALPHONSE, RUN!" he yelled with an evil smirk on his face.

Pikachu took note that the whip was personalized not with Edward's name…but with the name "Indiana Jones." (1)

Alphonse ran towards the waterfall and hit the wall beside of it. Edward and Pikachu caught up just in time to see…and laughed.

"Pi pikachu!" said Pikachu pointing towards a cage hanging directly above them.

"Pikachu! You're back!" a male voice said from the cage.

"Pika pi!"

Edward and Alphonse blinked and stared up at the cage. Pikachu's friends were up there…but they had no idea how to get them down.

"Who did you get to save us, Pikachu?" a female voice asked.

"Pika? Pi! Pikachu chu pika!" it replied.

Ed decided it was time to introduce them.

"Hey captured people!" He yelled.

"So you did bring someone back with you," another male voice said.

"Yeah! Hold on we'll get you down!" called Al.

The two brothers decided to try what they do best. Alchemy.

"You going to try or me?" Ed asked.

"How about you? You're older, after all," stated Al.

Edward nodded and stood up.

"Just a second and you'll be on the ground seeing your saviors!" he declared.

Ed walked over to the wall. He clapped and touched the wall. As he had hoped, a spike came out of the wall and cut the rope that held the cage.

Said cage fell and broke apart. The three inside were sore, but happy to be out of their prison.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the arms of a black-haired guy wearing a black and yellow vest with bluish pants on. He also wore a hat.

"Thanks for saving us," thanked the girl.

She was wearing a black and pink dress sort of thing…that was really short. This girl also had a hat, but a different type.

The third person was a tall man with…no eyes? Or slits for eyes. He wore a orange and black vest with a green shirt under it. He had no hat, which Alphonse thought was strange.

"It's no problem really," Ed finally replied.

"What are your names?" The black haired guy asked.

"I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my older brother-" started the younger.

"Edward Elric," finished the older.

"I'm Ash Ketchum," said the guy, "And this is Dawn, and Brock."

"Nice to meet you, Edward, Alphonse," the girl, Dawn, said.

"Yo," Brock said.

Ash stared at Edward for a moment and asked a strange question.

"Why is your hair in a braid…like a girl?"

Ed twitched.

"Because…it's better than the hair falling in my face…" he replied.

The short-for-his-age alchemist assessed the boy in front of him.

"Why is your hair so spiky? And why are you wearing a hat?" he asked with an amused smirk.

Ash glared.

"Because it can be and because I can!"

"Peh," Ed said, "anyway, how did you guys get stuck in that cage anyway?

The three looked at each other…then at the brothers in front of them.

"Truth to tell…" started Dawn.

"We really have no idea," Brock added.

"These people just came out of nowhere and trapped us," explained Ash.

Edward looked at Alphonse and back at the three in front of him.

"What did they look like?" he asked, "I'm in the military back home…Maybe I can help."

Brock laughed nervously.

"They were wearing black suits. We couldn't see what they looked like at all," he said.

Ed crossed his arms and looked down.

"That's no good…"

"Brother…"

The older looked up and caught Pikachu's gaze.

"Pikachu…do you remember anything?" he asked.

"Pika..Pikachu pi chu pika…chu Pi ka…"

Edward looked shocked.

"What?!"

Everyone looked to see that both Ed and Ash said that at the same time.

"How do we know it wasn't you two then?!" Ash accused.

"We just got here, buddy, I've never seen you before in my life!" Ed attacked.

"What did Pikachu say?" Dawn asked.

"It said that the ones who attacked us did something like what Edward did just now!" replied Ash, "So how do we know that these two didn't attack us?!"

"But there were four of them…and none of them were as short as Edward or Alphonse…"

Something inside Ed's mind clicked.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?!" He yelled quite loudly.

Everyone except Alphonse, who sighed, stared at Edward surprised.

"Um…he does that EVERY time someone calls him short…please excuse Ed's behavior!" Al informed them.

The other three nodded. Everyone went back to being shocked at the fact that the attackers used the same technique as Edward.

"So…the people who captured you can use Alchemy…?" the older brother asked no one in particular.

"Alchemy?" Dawn and Ash asked simultaneously.

"It's a form of magic, if you will, that people studied a long time ago. You could use it to change lead into gold, among other things," explained Brock.

He turned to the Elric Brothers.

"People in the world still study alchemy?"

Edward looked at Brock and took a deep breath.

"Maybe not in this world…but…" he said quietly, "In our own world…perhaps."

"You're…from another world?" Dawn asked with an amazed tone.

Ed and Al nodded.

"Apparently so," said the younger of the two, "None of this looks familiar…at all."

"It doesn't make any sense, Al…" Edward said holding onto his head.

"Are you ok, Edward?" his brother asked.

"I'm fine…just have a headache…Probably from all of this stuff that's going on."

Alphonse sighed.

"I'm sorry that we troubled you," he apologized.

"No need to apologize," Brock told him, "In fact…why don't you come with us?"

Ash stared in disbelief at Brock. Dawn cheered and ran over to the Brothers.

"You guys will be safe with us! We know where we're going!" she said happily.

Ed looked from Dawn, to Ash and Brock, to Alphonse. He didn't know what to do or say. Honestly, the kid was confused. He didn't know why he was here, or why the ring took he and his brother away from their home.

"I guess we have to say yes," Edward said, accepting their offer.

"HURRAY!" Dawn squealed.

Alphonse laughed, "You sound happy."

"I've never been a teacher before! And you guys are totally lost!"

Al continued to converse with Dawn about burritos and pizza as Ed watched Ash talk privately with Brock…

* * *

"Those two are no good, Brock! Why can't you see it?!" Ash quietly yelled(is that possible?) to his friend.

"They're lost and confused, Ashy Boy," replied the older guy, "We have to help."

Ash looked down.

"Besides…" Brock continued, "These two might be able to help us find the people who captured us."

"How so?"

"Ed and Al know Alchemy, and apparently so do the attackers. If we could somehow find those people, the brothers could do something about it."

Brock crossed his arms.

"It has been said that people using weird powers dressed in black have been robbing and kidnapping people," he remembered.

"Ed is wearing black…" Ash said quietly, looking back from a short staring contest with the older Elric brother, in which he lost.

"Not the same kind of black…" sighed Brock, "Besides…did our attackers wear long red coats?"

Ash sighed, "No…they didn't…"

"Just give these two a chance, Ash," Brock said as he walked back to the group.

Ash stood by himself for a moment. He watched as Brock put his hand on Edward's head, which resulted in a short rant. Pikachu looked at Ash from his perch on a tree branch.

"Pika?" it asked.

"I'm alright…just wondering what's up with that guy…" Ash replied.

_Edward Elric… _he thought to himself, _Why does your name sound familiar to me…?_

--

Kaori: Oh dear! Ed's name is familiar to Ashy!

Shadow: Whoopdee do…

Kaori: No…it's Whoopdee flippin' do…

Shadow: Whatever…

Kaori: Oh and…

1: Only the person I put that in there for knows why it's in the story…:)

Shadow: Review!

Kaori: Or Ed will use the whip he stole from Indy on you!


	3. Rain Rain, Go Away

Kaori: Sorry that this chapter is late…Writer's block…but I got some ideas from a friend.

Thank you Inuyasha4ever1!!

Anyway, today we have my friend instead of Shadow oo

Ed: Don't confuse me with Elric …

Kaori: Disclaimer!

Ed: **_Kaori does NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or Pokémon._** If she did, there would be characters named Kaori in the story lines.

Kaori: BUT I DO OWN AN EDWARD ELRIC PLUSH AND A ROY MUSTANG ONE TOO!!

On with the story…

* * *

"So that's how I ended up with Ash," said Dawn, finishing her explanation of meeting up with Brock and Ash.

"Wow. That's an interesting chain of events," Al complimented.

"Thanks."

The group was bound for a small town nearby to stock up on supplies and ask questions about the kidnappers in black.

Dawn and Alphonse continued with their conversation. Brock added in his two sense every now and then, receiving laughs from the others. Ash kept looking over at Edward, who was looking at the scenery and asking questions about various things.

"What kind of supplies are we going to buy?" Alphonse asked Brock.

"When you travel around, you need to keep food, medicine, and other items stocked up," he started, "You not only have to buy food for the humans, but also for the Pokémon."

"And you need medicine for them too, right?" Edward asked.

"Exactly. Pokémon get hurt and sick the same as we do," Brock continued.

"This place isn't as different as our own world if you think about it," said Al with a laugh.

"What's your world like?" Ash asked.

"It's kind of like this one," started Alphonse, "Except for the Pokémon, of course."

"Our world is also torn by war. People are suffering because the military is careless and retarded," Ed chimed in, "I'm sure this world is much better than ours."

The three natives looked at each other and then back at the brothers.

"That sounds really bad," said Dawn.

Everyone decided to keep their mouths shut for awhile. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees along the path was all that anyone could hear…besides a peculiar clanking noise. Ash looked at Brock to see if he noticed anything, but he was too busy making a list of things to buy in the next town.

"Hey, what's that sound?" Dawn asked, and everyone stopped to look at her.

"What sound?" Al asked back.

"It's like you read my mind, Dawn…I heard something too," Ash said, "but it stopped…"

Brock scratched his head.

"I didn't hear anything…what did it sound like?"

Dawn crossed her arms.

"It was like…this…clanking noise.." she explained.

"And it stopped when we stopped walking…" added Ash.

Edward yawned.

"Maybe it's just your imagination," he suggested, "Because I didn't hear anything."

"Weird…I swear I heard something…" Dawn pouted in a way.

She shrugged it off and everyone started walking again. Ash tried to ignore the sound and started a conversation with Brock about dominos…

"Brother," Al whispered, "I think I know what they heard…"

"Shush, Al…" Ed replied, "I know what it is…ok? I can't help it."

"Shouldn't you tell them?"

"No, it'll only complicate things…Besides…that Ash guy already doesn't like me."

Edward walked ahead of his brother and thought about his situation.

_'If I tell them, they'll probably ditch us,' _he thought, _'What is Alphonse thinking?!'_

Brock looked up at the sky after finishing his conversation. The sky was getting darker and the air was cooling.

"I think a storm is coming…" he informed the others.

"Huh?" Dawn said, "But the weather forecast didn't say anything about rain! My hair's gonna get messed up!"

"You're wearing a hat…it won't be that bad…will it?" Alphonse wondered.

As if on cue, the rain started pouring on the group.

"Wonderful…" Ed growled.

In some silent agreement, they started running down the path. Pikachu jumped up on Ash's shoulder at some point during the run. Dawn pulled out an umbrella she somehow kept concealed in her bag and shared it with Alphonse. Edward put up the hood on his coat. Brock checked the map to see how far they were from the next town.

"It's not much further from here!" he yelled over the thunder that began to rumble through the air.

"That's great, now let's just keep running!" exclaimed the older Elric brother.

_'Oh no…' _thought Al, _'I wonder how Ed will hold out this time…'_

It was only a few minutes of getting soaked out in a thunderstorm before they could see buildings on the horizon. Everyone began to run as fast as they could.

"We're almost there!" cheered Dawn.

They entered the town and headed straight for the Pokémon Center. Everyone inside stopped what they were doing to observe the group that had just entered. A woman with red hair wearing a nurse's outfit ran over to them.

"Oh my gosh, are you all ok?" she asked.

Brock's eyes turned to hearts.

"Why yes we are!" he said while grabbing the nurse's hand, "Especially now that you're here!"

A Pokémon came out of nowhere and jabbed Brock in the back, while he was in the middle of a speech of sorts.

"Or…maybe…not…"

He fell to the ground. Ash and Dawn laughed, but Ed and Al just stared at Brock like he was a moron…which we all know he is.

"I'll be right back with some towels," the nurse said.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Dawn called after her.

Nurse Joy came back with those towels and everyone dried off.

"I hope we don't get sick…" Ash sighed.

"That would suck..." replied Alphonse.

Dawn cried and started to ring out her hair.

"It's a mess!"

Brock pointed at Edward for a minute.

"I have just discovered something about you!" he boasted.

"Oh really…?" the blonde alchemist replied.

The lines-for-eyes older boy whispered into the other's ear.

"You're…afraid…of thunderstorms."

Ed kicked Brock away from him.

"You have no proof of that!" he accused.

"Isn't it obvious though?" Brock replied, "You ran faster every time you heard thunder!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did! Didn't he, Ash?!"

Ash shrugged.

"I was too busy running myself, Brock."

Alphonse stood up and smiled.

"Yep. My brother is reeeaaally weird!"

"Gee thanks…"

Edward crossed his arms and stared out the window.

"Afraid of thunderstorms…" he muttered, "What a lie…"

While Ed was muttering to himself and the other three were having a random conversation, Brock got out a dictionary.

"Astraphobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of thunderstorms. Sufferers experience anxiety even when they realize the risk of harm is very small. Consequently, when indoors they might seek shelter under a bed, in a closet or in a basement. They generally keep a watchful eye on the sky and remain alert for reports of electrical storms."

"Are you trying to get on my bad side, Brock?" Ed asked angrily.

"No, just educating the world," replied the annoyance.

Edward stood up.

"I'll be back later…" he said.

With that, he walked off in some unknown direction. Alphonse sighed.

"I'm sorry about my brother's behavior," he apologized, "He's got a short temper…and he doesn't like to be annoyed."

"It's alright, Al," Dawn told him.

"Alright to you…" Ash said.

The others stared at him.

"There's something really weird about you two," he continued.

"You aren't usually the suspicious type, Ash," said Brock confusedly.

"Yeah, what's gotten into you?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing really…"

Pikachu frowned.

"Pika pi?"

Ash looked down at Pikachu and patted his head.

"I'm alright, Pikachu. It's just kind of…weird…"

"I hope Ed's alright…" Al said to himself.

* * *

Edward went outside on the deck. The rain was pouring even harder now and one would think that he would've gone inside by now.

"What's gotten into me…?" he asked himself.

He looked down at the ring. That was the ring that caused them to be warped here. It didn't make any sense.

_'Why did this thing take Al and I here?' _Ed thought, _'If this was supposed to be a test, haven't I faced enough crap over the years?'_

He sighed. Ed thought about throwing the ring out into the grass or the road or something, but he figured he'd need it to get back home. If it could bring them here, it could take them back. Still, Edward had his doubts about this method. Whoever threw that ring, obviously wanted to get rid of him.

_'There's more going on here than what I've figured out so far…but isn't that always the case?'_

He groaned and hit his head on the railing.

"Why is this so difficult?"

Edward didn't know what to do now. He figured his best bet would be to stick to these travelers for awhile.

_'Why wander by yourself when you can wander with…native wanderers?'_

He smirked at his own thoughts.

_'I've finally lost it.'_

Ed heard the door open behind him and pretended he didn't.

"Hey…Edward?"

To his surprise…It was Dawn.

* * *

Kaori: Yeah Yeah…I know it took forever to update…and I even left you a cliffhanger of sorts.

Ed: For inspiration to write this chapter, we listened to random tracks from the FMA Soundtrack.

Kaori: And Returnable Memories helped me write the last part…and I really have no idea why Ed's just standing around in the rain XD

Ed: Review! Or else the ghost of Ed Elric's Eye will haunt you!

Kaori: -.- Private Joke!


	4. Brothers

Kaori: Well…I decided to hurry up and write this one. I had to get it out of my system...

Shadow: I have a question.

Kaori: What?

Shadow: Can TAILS do the disclaimer?

Kaori: Sure.

Tails: **_Kaori does NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist, Pokémon, or Shadow and I._**

Kaori: But I own a whole lot of FMA and Pokémon merchandise.

* * *

"What is it?" Edward asked.

Dawn walked over and stood beside him. She looked a little nervous and Ed was about to ask her why…but she spoke before he could.

"I think your brother…is worried about you," she said quietly, just before a roar of thunder rang through the air.

Edward coughed a few times and went back to staring at the horizon. Dawn looked at him with concern, but he didn't notice. She put her hand on his arm to show that she cared, but Ed pulled it away.

"Al always worries about me," he stated, "He kind of reminds me of our mother."

Dawn was curious now.

"What's your Mom like?" she asked.

Edward looked down toward the ground.

"You should go inside. It's starting to rain harder," he told her.

She looked down also.

"I'm sorry…" she said.

Dawn walked back to the door.

"You should come in, too."

It was quiet after the door shut. Ed decided he could stay out…for just a little longer.

* * *

"Really…?"

"That must have been hard for you."

Alphonse nodded.

"We loved her more than anything," he said.

_'And that's why we had to try,' _he thought.

"Your mother really must have been someone great, huh?" Ash said.

Al nodded again.

"She was always there for us, even though she was sick," he explained, "Whenever Ed and I were hurt or sick, she'd give up her time to help us get better."

"That's what a mother is supposed to do," Brock smiled.

"Always there for her children," added Ash.

"Always loving them, even through their mistakes," Al whispered the last bit.

There were a few minutes between the end of their discussion and Dawn's return. When she got there, Ash and Brock were off to get some food for everyone.

"Hey Alphonse…" she started, "What happened to your mother?"

"She died from an illness she kept secret from everyone," explained Al, "Ed and I came home one day and she was on the floor. She wasn't dead then, but it was getting worse…"

Dawn looked down.

"I think I may have upset your brother," she apologized.

Al looked at her.

"Why?"

She sighed and told him, "I asked about your mother…"

The boy in front of her smiled sadly.

"Ed's more sensitive about it than I am, I think," he said, "Don't worry. He'll be ok."

The girl looked behind herself, "He's still out there, isn't he?"

Alphonse walked over beside Dawn.

"We just have to leave him alone for awhile," he said, "Ed likes to be alone sometimes…to think or figure things out."

He thought Dawn looked worried.

"Why are you so worried about him?"

Dawn looked over at Al and looked back at the door.

"He was coughing a bit…and I told him to come inside. But only so he wouldn't get sick."

Ash and Brock came back with the food and the four of them ate. Alphonse explained that his brother could come whenever he felt hungry so no one went to get him. When everyone was full, they sat on one of the couches and told stories. Ash told a story about how he and Pikachu beat a whole flock of Spearow. Brock told a story of how he almost got married to a girl, but she fell in love with someone else. Dawn told a story about how she won her first ribbon. Alphonse told a story about how he and Ed saved a town from a corrupt military leadership. They were all so absorbed in their stories, they didn't notice that Edward came inside for a few minutes, ate, and went back outside.

* * *

Night time came upon them all too soon, and left to go to bed, except Alphonse. He went outside and saw his older brother asleep on the railing. The younger brother tried to wake him.

"Hey Ed, wake up!" he shook his brother, "Let's go inside! It's dry in there."

Ed groaned in his sleep and fell off. Al laughed and kicked him lightly.

"Come on, sleepy head," he said.

Edward sat up and yawned.

"Why didn't you just let me sleep…?" he asked.

Alphonse crossed his arms.

"One. It's pouring out here. Two. You couldn't have been comfortable. Three. You're obviously already sick and I don't want you to get sick…er!" he yelled.

The older of the two stood up.

"I'm fine, Al," he insisted, "You're overreacting!"

"Dawn doesn't think you're alright," Alphonse muttered.

"Who cares what she thinks?!" Ed yelled, "She doesn't know anything about me!"

"She knows about Mom," countered Al, "I told her and the others!"

"Why the hell would you do something like that?!"

"Because they have a right to know, Ed!"

"You barely know these people and you tell them THAT?!"

"They're nice people, Brother! Accept it!"

"You don't know them well enough!"

"Yes I do, Ed!"

The two of them were facing each other angrily. They glared at each other from opposite sides of the deck.

"And I'll tell you…EVERYTHING!" Alphonse cried to his brother.

He took a deep breath.

"Ash is a nice guy! He's determined and wants to help us out now! He may be a little suspicious from time to time, but he has good reasoning! Pikachu is just as kind! He'll do anything to help anyone who has good meaning! He wants to make us feel right at home in this world, and he'll do anything to do it! Brock is like a father to Ash and Dawn and Pikachu! He keeps track of anything and everything! He even makes medicine if he has the right ingredients! And Dawn's one of the nicest girls I've ever met! She cares about you, me, Ash, Brock, Pikachu, EVERYONE! She was concerned so she came out here to check on you, and you just push her away like everyone else!"

Alphonse was in tears at this point. Edward walked over to his brother.

"Al…come on…" he said quietly.

Lightning struck close to them and they both braced themselves.

"Let's go inside Al…before something happens to us out here."

"Not until you tell me you'll be nicer to them…and to me! Tell us the truth, Brother!" Al demanded.

Ed looked down.

"Al…I don't want you to get hurt…" he started, "so just go, ok?"

"You have to promise!"

He was begging…begging for Ed to stop being secretive.

"Please promise me…I don't want you to lie to me…or anyone else anymore!"

Edward looked up at Alphonse.

"Ok…I promise Al…just go on, you idiot," he said.

"I'm…Just like you Ed," Al replied with a smile.

The two of them went inside, dried off, and set off to bed…but neither of them slept that night. They were too worried about each other.

_'I know he was sick…' _Alphonse told himself, _'He just won't tell me! He never does…'_

_'What's up with him?' _Edward asked in his mind, _'I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…like tell those people anything ELSE about our past…'_

Al felt like he was being stared at and looked toward Ed, who turned away as soon as his brother looked. They sighed simultaneously and pretended to sleep. As he heard a few coughs, the younger brother felt a tear go down his cheek.

_'Edward…what's wrong with you? I know it's not just from this stupid storm! You were like this when we first got here…and now it's getting worse.'_

Alphonse decided he was going to ask about it tomorrow…when he had the chance to talk to his brother alone.

* * *

Kaori: Man…why am I confusing myself with this story?!

Tails: You wrote it, yet you don't know what's going on.

Kaori: Nope.

Shadow: Fabulous.

Kaori: Isn't it? Anyway, stay tuned! In the next chapter, Edo and Ashy have a talk!


End file.
